Evaluate an agency through its project process, relevant work, content responsibilities, account ownership and support arrangements.
Portfolio images are only one part of choosing a web design agency. You also need to understand project management, content responsibilities and what happens after delivery. Concrete questions make an initial meeting more useful.
What problem did you solve in a similar project?
Look beyond recognising a logo from your sector. Ask about a comparable need: explaining many services, collecting mobile enquiries or managing a catalogue. Open the live reference rather than judging only a presentation image.
Three questions about the process
Who will receive your feedback? Who prepares copy and images? At which stage is the design approved? These questions expose likely schedule dependencies. Appointing one person to consolidate feedback helps avoid contradictory revisions.
Two questions about ownership and handover
Who owns the domain and hosting account? Which administrator credentials and documents will you receive? The agency may manage technical work, but your business should still understand and control its digital assets.
Question seven: how are changes handled?
A new page, a defect correction and a new feature are different tasks. Clarify the support channel, response process and pricing of additional work. Ask for a short written scope covering the answers. The strongest working relationship begins with expectations both sides understand.